IDC Expects Continued PC Shipment Declines Through 2013

Computer shipments dropped 9.8 percent in 2014, IDC says

The PC market has been in a slump for several quarters now, and in all of 2013, worldwide computer shipments dropped 9.8 percent, according to newly released data by International Data Corporation (IDC). On the plus side, the decline was slightly better than IDC's 10.1 percent projection, and fourth quarter results were better than expected, though overall it still ranks as the "most severe contraction on record," IDC says.

PC sales in emerging markets weren't all that hot, declining 11.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. Looking ahead, IDC expects more declines, even after factoring in a slight rise from Windows XP replacements (support for Windows XP is scheduled to end next month).

"Emerging markets used to be a core driver of the PC market, as rising penetration among large populations boosted overall growth," said Loren Loverde, Vice President, Worldwide PC Trackers. "At the moment, however, we're seeing emerging regions more affected by a weak economic environment as well as significant shifts in technology buying priorities. We do expect these regions to recover in the medium term and perform better than mature regions, but growth is expected to stabilize near zero percent, rather than driving increasing volumes as we saw in the past."

Despite the reported drops, a bit of perspective is needed. For example, even though PC shipments declined in 2013, the market still saw an influx of 315.1 million shipments, including 136.7 million desktops and 178.4 million portable PCs. In 2018, IDC expects to see 291.7 million shipments.